Army given freehand to bypass red-tapism, buy ammo

NEW DELHI:  With growing tensions on the border with China and also continuous aggression by Pakistan, the Indian Army is gearing up to modernise itself for a ‘short and intense war’. An internal audit of the Army recently exposed its critical deficiency. The world’s third largest Army does not even have one-third of its authorised war wastage reserves (WWR) for 30 days of intense fighting.In view of the recent developments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government empowered Vice Chief of the Army to make procurements of military hardware bypassing red-tapism up to `40,000 crore. The Army has identified critical deficiencies in 46 types of ammunition and certain spares for 10 types of weapon platforms.Here are some of the findings of the report wherein the Army is looking to modernise itself.

Air Defence Gun
Required to enhance lethality and accuracy of the air defence ammunition of L70 gun system

Light weight body armour

Bullet-proof jackets presently can’t protect a soldier’s vital organs. It’s weight doesn’t allow a soldier to operate with maximum efficiency

Advanced cannon ammunition for BMP

BMPs are the mainstay of mechanised infantry. Current
fleet of these combat vehicles are in service since the 80s. Advanced 30 mm bullets required to replace existing ammunition.

Short-range UAV
A modern battlefield is characterised by enhanced battlefield transparency enabling forces to operate with same combat power during day, night and inclement weather

Multi-target tracking  systems for tanks

 To handle more than one target at the same time, it is imperative to develop a high-technology tracking system that not only can detect and track multiple targets, but is also able to assist the commander to prioritise targets.3rd generation missile for T-90 and T-72 battle tanks

Armed fighting vehicle protection and counter measure system for T-90 tanks

New engines needed for T-90 tanks for high battlefield agility and to manage system upgrades is being planned. Requirement is 2,011 engines costing Rs 5 crore each.

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